Penang is one of our favourite places to visit for a short weekend trip. Widely known as the Pearl of the Orient, with landscapes oozing Oriental, colonial and the local Peranakan cultural influences, Penang is a must-visit for those stopping by Malaysia. Not just a wonderland for beaches, Penang also offers some of the world’s most delicious food! There’s no doubt that Penang is a food mecca for foodies! From Char Kway Teow to Chendol, there are far more flavourful cuisines waiting for us to discover.
With borders opening up and most travel restrictions being lifted, why not consider Penang as your next destination for a quick weekend getaway. It takes just over an hour to get there by plane, so you can make the most out of a weekend trip and indulge in a relaxing vacation in what is known as the culinary paradise of Malaysia!
Here’s a tip: If you didn’t already know, there are two long weekends coming up in July and October, so you can make full use of this to plan a foodtastic weekend trip to Penang!
We have rounded up some of the spots in Penang we think you should check out, so go ahead and slot them into your itinerary.
You don’t have to stick to this exact timeline, read on and add the ones you really like into your itinerary!
Penang Weekend Trip Day 1:
Grab Breakfast at Yong Pin Dim Sum Restaurant
Located in Georgetown, Yong Pin is a popular dim sum place among locals. What we love about places like this – the local touch. You won’t get quality hotel service, but in return, you will get to experience what it’s like to live like a local.
Yong Pin’s history dates back to the 80s, but it has been recently revamped with a fresh new look and shifted its premises to Kimberley Street, still located in the heart of Georgetown.
It now features a retro-style, 70s Hong Kong inspired interior, complete with booth seating and mosaic tile flooring. That’s not the only thing that has changed at Yong Pin, as the food, which previously used to be served on trays that were brought to your table by the staff, is now presented to you on a massive island counter in the centre of the dining room. You can simply walk over, take your pick from what’s available and bring it back to your table to feast!
Whether you like the new style of serving food is debatable, but Yong Pin still serves up the same selection of mouth-watering yum cha that they have become so well known for over the past few decades.
There are the usual classics like siu mai, har gow, sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, lor mai gai, braised chicken feet, beancurd roll, chives dumpling, dai bao and many more!
A dedicated counter for bao that comes with both sweet and savoury fillings – some of the sweet options include lotus paste, red bean paste, kaya and golden yolk. Savoury fillings include chinese sausage, chicken, char siu and cured pork. There’s also an interesting-looking bamboo charcoal bao.
Apart from dim sum, Yong Pin also offers hearty dishes like shrimp rice rolls, century egg pork porridge and a selection of homemade teas!
Definitely a Penang breakfast experience not to be missed!
Yong Pin Restaurant
59A, Lebuh Kimberley, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Tue-Sun, 7am-2:30pm
Have Lunch At Green House Prawn Mee Corner
There is more to Penang food than Chendol. One of our personal favourites is Prawn Noodles. More commonly known as Hokkien Mee in Penang, Green House Prawn Mee Corner serves one of the best prawn noodles in Penang.
If you’re expecting noodles and broth with a thick consistency in a rich prawn and pork-based stock, you will be surprised as “Hokkien Mee” in Penang is not akin to its Singaporean counterpart. That’s not to say that both dishes are not prepared in a similar manner, as the soup base for Penang Hokkien Mee is also prepared with copious amounts of prawn heads/shells and steeped with pork bones. The resulting broth has a soupy consistency and carries the sweet aromatic richness of the prawns, as well as the deep, hearty umami flavour of the pork bones. Pair it with a couple of spoonfuls of sambal tumis to give your meal an added burst of heat.
At Green House Prawn Mee Corner, you can actually order a mix of both Lor Mee (or Law Mee as they call it) and Hokkien Mee in the same bowl, which is an unusual experience in Singapore.
You can have your bowl of noodles in two sizes, small (RM 6.50) and big (RM7.50). Noodle choices include Mee (yellow noodle), Bihun (white rice noodles) and Koay Tiao (flat rice noodles), but there’s also an option to add the popular Malaysian instant noodle, Cintan Mee (RM 7.00 and RM 8.00 for small and big respectively)
What really caught our attention was the choice of toppings that you could add to your noodles, as there are so many different types of toppings to choose from! You can add shrimp (RM 4.00), Pork Rib, Roasted Pork, Pork Belly (RM3.50), Chinese Sausage (RM3.00), Pigskin, Chicken Feet, Fishball, Meatball, Vegetables and Braised Egg (RM1.50).
The broth here is amazing. Make sure you have some space in your stomach left before coming here. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Green House Prawn Mee Corner
133-A, Jalan Burma, George Town, 10050 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Mon-Sat, 9am-11:30pm
Sun, 10:30am-11.30pm
Go Crazy At Kuta Bali Cafe
Yes, you have read that correctly. This place is called Kuta Bali Café, but it is neither a café nor is it located in Bali. It’s actually a hawker centre. 🤷
Kuta Bali Cafe is home to more than fifty kinds of hawker food. They even have Vietnamese and Thai cuisines here. If you’re one who’s bored by the usual and always looking out for variations in your food choices, this is your perfect food paradise.
This food court is more popular among locals as opposed to tourists, so you will not have to worry about paying for overpriced, mediocre food. What you will get instead is an authentic Penang experience, a huge range of food choices, and rather reasonable fares.
Traditionally, in the morning, the food court serves predominantly breakfast dishes such as dim sum, which it has actually garnered quite the reputation for, with many patrons traveling from far flung areas just to get their breakfast fix. Towards the late afternoon, more stalls open and the lively spirit of Kuta Bali Cafe comes into full effect.
Before the restrictions imposed due to the MCO (Movement Control Order), locals used to make merry and sing during the nighttime, accompanied by their glasses of beer, but they have had no choice but to dial it back a little as of late due to the COVID-19 cases continuing to rise. However, we hope that things return to normal soon, as the fun and laughter that patrons of Kuta Bali Cafe rejoiced in was truly a sight to behold!
Highly recommend the Pho, tastes as authentic as it gets!
Kuta Bali Café
19, Lintang Paya Terubong 1, Bandar Baru Air Itam, 11060 Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Mon-Fri, 8am-10:30pm (Different stalls operate at varying hours)
Sat-Sun, 8am-11.00pm (Different stalls operate at varying hours)
Penang Weekend Trip Day 2
Amazing Toasts at Le Café
‘楽’ which is a character derived from the phrase happiness in Chinese, forms the entire outlook of the café owners. And we can say that Le Café really does hold true to its outlook. It aims to spark joy and happiness to its customers by having an attractive interior and instagrammable spots all over the cafe, while also serving food of high quality.
One of the highlights at Le Cafe is their Asian fusion toasts. They do a wonderful job of incorporating familiar local ingredients and flavours into an irresistible package that leaves you craving for more! The menu is quite expansive as well with a wide variety of sandwiches with different flavour combinations to suit all kinds of tastebuds.
Their sweet toasts come in flavours like Peanut Butter (RM10), Cheese Souffle (RM11) and Pandan Kaya (RM10), and are accompanied by half-boiled eggs.
Their savoury toasts come in flavours such as Ori (RM10) – which is made with chicken ham and scrambled eggs, Toast Bacon (RM12), Cheesy Potato (RM10), Tamago Egg Mayo (RM11), Tempura Fish Curry (RM15), Mentaiko Crab (RM13), Tuna (RM12), Garlic Butter Shrooms (RM13), Shrimp Katsu (RM15), Pork Floss Bakkwa (RM13), Goo Beef (RM15), Teriyaki Unagi (RM15) and Siam Po ‘Pork’ (RM13). Yup, we told you – there’s definitely a flavour for everyone at Le Cafe. You can opt for housemade wholemeal bread for your sandwich (RM1), or add Hash Browns (RM3), Chicken Ham (RM2), Pork Bacon (RM3), and Cheddar Cheese (RM2).
If you are not a sandwich person, you can always go for the Egg & Cheese Brioche (RM12) or the Kani Salad (RM12).
Caffeinated beverages are available as well, namely Espresso (RM8), Black (RM9), Piccolo (RM11), Latte (RM12), Cappuccino (RM12), and Mocha (RM14), both hot and iced (+RM1). You can opt for oat milk to be used as a substitute as well (+RM2)
As for non-caffeinated beverages, there are classic cafe staples such as Matcha Latte (RM12), Freshly Squeezed Orange (RM12) and a refreshing Passionfruit Cold Brew Tea (RM10).
The ‘Goo’ Beef which we ordered was well toasted with a dreamy butter aftertaste. 🤤 The meat was juicy and tender, and was complemented by the rich creaminess of the scrambled eggs. Take a bite and your taste buds would be tantalised by a concoction of flavours – the sweetness of the barbeque sauce, umami-ness from the beef and earthiness from the peanut sauce all went wonderful together.
Le Café opens from 9am, making it a great breakfast spot.
Le Café
33, Jalan Gurdwara, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Thu-Tue, 9am-6pm
We Ordered 3 More Plates of this Char Kway Teow
There’s a relatively famous place for Chendol known as Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul in Penang. This place is actually a mini coffee shop that has a number of stalls selling a diverse variety of dishes. The main highlights, for which you would see snaking queues forming are the chendol and the char kway teow. Neighbouring stalls sell local favourites like popiah, oyster omelette, chinese rojak. There is also a stall selling fritters like fried durian, fried banana (Goreng Pisang), fried cempedak, fried sweet potato (Goreng Ubi) and curry puffs.
Though there are many franchises of this popular outlet, spread throughout Malaysia, this is the original outlet which It’s famed not just for its chendol, but for its wok-fried char kway teow as well. The two stalls that serve each dish are located side-by-side, so you can gobble down a delicious plate of kway teow and wash it down with some ice cold chendol.
The Chendol (RM4.40) that we tried had a rich coconut fragrance, and it went brilliantly with the gula melaka, which brought a caramel flavour with notes of smokiness. We found that the dish was not too sweet and had a very palatable, balanced taste. The consistency of the Chendol was perfect as well, neither too thick nor too dilute. It was definitely worth the wait!
If you are visiting this place, go to the one with a sitting area. To save time, make sure one person queues for the Chendol while the other orders the Char Kway Teow (RM7.50). They also have other dishes such as Asam Laksa (RM6.50).
This is probably one of the best Char Kway Teows we have had in a very long time. Although each plate looked innocently similar to other Char Kway Teows, the noodles were so good and the wok-hei was perfect. Honestly, we only ordered one plate initially, for fear of being too full for the rest of the day, but this local delight was so good that we could not resist ordering again. We had a total of 4 plates for 3 people.
Be prepared to say bye to your diet plans when you’re in Penang.
Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul
42, Lebuh Keng Kwee, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Mon-Fri, 10.30am-7pm
Sat-Sun, 10am-7:30pm
Bask In Instagram Heaven at Norm
One of the most aesthetic cafes in Penang is no doubt, Norm. Marbled tables, white tiles, simple wooden furnishing coupled with streaks of natural sunlight, Norm is an Instagrammer’s heaven.
If you’re in the mood for some booze, you can try some of their signature cocktails. They have quite an interesting selection – their signature drink is the Late Latte (RM38), which combines milk punch, coffee-infused bourbon, vanilla vodka and an espresso shot in a well-shaken caffeinated alcoholic concoction. They also have the Mad Marmalade (RM38), Tipple Tiffany (RM38), Smoky Soapberry (RM32), The Brand(y) New Old-Fashioned (RM35) and the classic Gin & Homemade Tonic (RM35). We have to say that Norm sure comes up with some interesting names for their cocktails!
As for caffeinated beverages, there are the classic options, Black (RM8 for Hot, RM11 for Iced), White (RM11 for Hot, RM 13 for Iced) and Mocha (RM13 for Hot, RM15 for Iced).
Non-caffeinated beverages include Hot Chocolate (RM12), Iced Chocolate (RM15), Dark Hot Chocolate (RM15), Babycino (RM7 for Hot, RM9 for Iced), and Green Tea Latte (RM14 for Hot, RM15 for Iced).
An assortment of teas is available as well, with their prices ranging from RM15 to RM25.
Otherwise, you can also find delight in their wide array of non-alcoholic options such as tea cocktails and coffee.
Their signatures come either caffeinated or caffeine-free and are a must-try – some of the options include Dark Paradise (RM15), which is a mocha with orange and burned cinnamon and Via Via Violet (RM14), which is homemade lavender cordial with tonic water and a dash of spice bitter. The cocktails and mocktails at Norm are truly distinctive, and they are super aesthetic – perfect for your Instagram feed!
Make sure to try their Tiramisu (RM15) while you’re there. Norm’s take on this classic dessert is lovely – strong coffee and rum aroma complemented with the perfect texture to a cake. Another solid option is their Basque Burnt Cheesecake (RM15).
Apart from the cakes, Norm also serves up freshly baked waffles, again with a mouthwatering variety of different combinations of flavours and ingredients for you to indulge in. The flavours include Regular Joe (RM15), Americana (RM25), Go Go Coco (RM20), Apple Crumble (RM20), Monkey Business (RM20), Citrus Passion (RM20), Brandy Cherry (RM25) and Rum & Raisin (RM25).
Norm also has spaghetti on their menu, in 5 different styles, Aglio E Oglio (RM20), Vongole (RM22), Fungi El Aglio (RM23), Carbonara (RM25), and Pesto (RM22).
What we loved about Norm was its versatility – whether you are there just to grab a couple of drinks, share some dessert with your friends, or enjoy a hearty meal, Norm is sure to leave you feeling more than satisfied. One word of advice – expect a crowd full of eager diners as Norm only opens from Friday to Sunday.
Norm Cafe
260C, Lebuh Carnarvon, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Fri-Sun, 11am-6pm
Cool Off the Heat at Rabbit Softserve & Gelato
Rabbit Softserve is a popular ice-cream brand in Malaysia, with outlets in Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur as well as Penang.
They quickly became the talk of the town due to their delicious and extensive selection of gelato flavours – there are over 16 flavours available for you to choose from! The flavour combinations at Rabbit Softserve are super unique and are constantly rotating as they continue to come up with new innovative flavours. Just to name a few of the flavours – you have the more traditional flavours such as French Vanillabeans, Raspberry Sorbet, Uji Matcha; but also unconventional ones such as Black Sesame Oat-milk, Hazelnut Raisin Cookies and Earl Grey Dark Cocoa. Trying them all would be like going on a flavour adventure!
One of Rabbit Softserve’s latest offerings is their tea-flavoured cakes, aptly named ThaiTea-ramisu (RM19), Matchamisu (RM19) and Hojichamisu (RM19). They come in sizes Medium (RM19) and Large (RM38).
Apart from gelato and cakes, Rabbit Softserve offers quite a variety of beverages and some pretty unique ones such as the matcha drinks. For caffeinated beverages, the usual staples like Long Black (RM11), Latte (RM13), Flat White (RM13), and Cappuccino (RM13) are available, with the inclusion of speciality items like Black Bee Iced Coffee (RM13), Citrus Lunafall (RM15) and Melbourne Iced Coffee (RM16).
For matcha fans, you can have Pure Uji Matcha (RM11) or Hojicha (RM12). Alternatively, you can have an Uji Matcha, Hojicha or Genmaicha Latte (RM13-14). If you prefer a zesty infusion with your matcha, there’s the iced Matcha Orenji (RM15), and Matcha Soda (RM13-14) in 3 flavours, honey, lemonade and lychee.
Rabbit Softserve also has a succinct selection of food items for patrons to choose from, and you will notice that their menu predominantly has dishes inspired by Japanese and Asian cuisine. You can start off with Sweet Potato Fries (RM18) that come accompanied by a kimchi mayo sauce or Truffle Fries (RM18).
Rice dishes include their Signature Crispy Chicken Don (RM20), Tamago Mentai Rice (RM19), Tori Mentai Rice (RM23), Grilled Salmon Tamago Mentai Rice (RM26) as well as their Australian Beef Don (RM23).
Rabbit Softserve also serves up pasta – there’s Aglio Oglio with Grilled Chicken (RM23) and Aglio Oglio with Grilled Salmon (RM26), both of which are prepared with house made pasta.
Both takeaway and delivery is available at Rabbit Softserve. Their gelatos come in gift sets of 6 pieces (RM88), 8 pieces (RM108) and a 8-piece set including a cake (RM126). They make a wonderful gift – we certainly would be delighted to receive Rabbit Softserve’s delicious gelatos delivered right to our doorstep!
Rabbit Softserve stands out because of its freshly made gelato that is made with imported ingredients of the finest quality. We love how each one of their flavours is unique and distinct, making for a refreshing taste with every bite! Definitely, a place to stop by if you are in Penang!
Rabbit Softserve & Gelato
Pusat Bayaran Setempat, Jalan Padang Kota Lama, Georgetown, 10200 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Wed-Mon, 11am-7pm
Closed on Tuesdays
Best Hokkien Mee in Penang
Located at Lebuh Presgrave, is one of the best renditions of Hokkien Mee in Penang. 888 Hokkien Mee is a stall which attracts a lot of locals and tourists from all over the world. Even at 8 pm, there was still a slight queue for the Hokkien Mee.
Like many other dishes, Hokkien Mee (also known as Mee Yoke) in Penang is different from what you would expect to see in Singapore. Here, it’s a soupy dish that consists of a savoury and spicy prawn broth and noodles, and sets the bar for comfort food for locals in Penang. It comes with a spoonful of sambal chilli, that you can mix in with the broth to give it a pleasantly sharp and savoury kick. The overall flavour of the broth was superbly balanced – the sweetness of the prawn heads and shells that are steeped in the broth for hours and the savoury rich flavour of the pork bones went great together.
A bowl of Hokkien Mee here will only cost you RM5, and comes with prawns, sliced pork and half a hard-boiled egg. Options to add on other ingredients such as roasted pork, meatballs, pork ribs, pork leg and egg are available as well, for an additional RM1-2.
The rich and deep broth was so comforting; and the reason why this simple bowl of noodles had managed to capture our hearts (and our stomachs as well). If you are looking at trying a variety of food or having a feast with your friends, fear not as there are numerous food stalls nearby as well. But one thing’s for sure – we find ourselves going back for the Hokkien Mee every single time. At such an affordable price, 888 Hokkien Mee is certainly worth the visit.
888 Hokkien Mee
Pusat Bayaran Setempat, Jalan Padang Kota Lama, Georgetown, 10200 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Wed-Mon, 11am-7pm
Closed on Tuesdays
Other Noteworthy Attractions
Besides having a taste of Penang’s food and culture, here are some other activities you can check out in Penang to further appreciate this humble yet amazing town.
Search for Murals in Georgetown
No trip to Penang is complete without having a few photos taken with the murals in Georgetown. Located all over the city, the murals have become a representative part of Penang and its culture.
While walking from one destination to another, you’ll be sure to pass by a mural or two. We came across a list online, you can bump up your trip by trying to find all of the murals listed here.
Look Over All of Penang at Penang Hill
A short 5 to 10 minutes train ride up and you’ll get to catch sight of a picturesque Penang. We suggest visiting near sunset, so you’ll get to see to experience both daytime and night-time in Penang plus bask in that warm evening glow. Love love love.
View the Sunset at Batu Ferringhi Beach
Although Batu Ferringhi Beach is slightly out of the way as compared to the rest of the recommended areas, the sunset view is unforgettably beautiful that you wouldn’t want to give this spot a miss.
You can choose to take a rest on the smooth white sands or have fun partaking in the several water sports available such as kayaking, jet-skiing or cruising on a banana boat.
With diverse food options and activities to do in Penang, we think a weekend trip down to this glorious town may not be sufficient to truly indulge in the town’s beauty and delish cuisines. All the more we should make this trip again soon and maybe discover some new places while we’re at it? 😉
Travel to Penang Post-Covid
From May 1 2022, travel restrictions have been further eased to allow travellers easier entry into Malaysia! Here’s what you need to know before you book your tickets and embark on your weekend escapade:
Before You Fly
- Inbound travellers who are fully vaccinated or under the age of 12, and travellers who recovered from COVID-19 within 6 to 60 days of departure do not need to undergo any COVID testing.
- Upload your vaccine certificate through the MySafeTravel portal.
- Download the MySejahtera app on your mobile phone and fill in the Pre Departure form before your flight.
Before Coming Back to Singapore
- Complete the SG Arrival Card within 3 days before arrival in Singapore.
- Ensure that you have an acceptable proof of vaccination with you.
Things To Take Note
- Travel insurance is no longer mandatory for travellers.
- The use of MySejahtera to check-in before entering locations within Malaysia is now optional.
- Wearing of masks outdoors is optional, but when indoors and on public transport, wearing a mask is mandatory.
- Physical distancing is no longer required.
Penang Weekend Getaway
We hope that some of the locations that we have covered in our article gave you some insight into the activities you can do at Penang! Do check our other articles out for more interesting places to explore all around Asia!
- 25 Instagrammable Cafes in Bali To Check Out During Your Next Getaway
- 2D1N Sokcho Trip Itinerary
- 3D2N Khao Yai Relaxation Itinerary
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